Introduction to Business Writing and Communicati...
Business writing is utilitarian,aiming to serve one or more of the following purposes,such as:
To explain or justify actions already taken—“There was a delay in shipping because the demand exceeded our expectations,and we had to order a second printing.
To convey information—“The balance of your order will be dispatched on 26 January and will arrive on the following day.”
To influence the reader to take some action—“We hope that you will find that our new,Web-based cash management services can reduce your capital requirements and save you money.”
To deliver good or bad news—“It is with regret that we have to tell you that, owing to ill health,Mr.Martin,our Managing Director,will be retiring from active business on the 25th October.”
To direct action—“You are required by law to operate your business in a manner which is safe and healthy for your workforce.”
1.1 Effective Business Writing
Effective business writing can be an important part of a business career.Public and private entities rely upon the business writings to communicate vital information,both internally and externally,regarding the condition and conduct of their business.It is fundamentally important that they should be written in a clear and concise manner.When they are,the risk of miscommunication is substantially decreased.
1.2 General Steps for Business Writing
Business writing is intended to convey information to someone else or to request information from them.To make effective writing for business,you must be complete,concise,and accurate.Your text should be written in such a way that the reader will be able to easily understand what you are expressing or asking them to do something.
A lot of writing for business is sloppy,poorly written,disorganized,littered with jargon,and incomplete.Often it is either too long or too short.All these lead to ineffective business writing.
Whether you are writing an annual sales report,an email to your manager,or an instruction manual for a software package,there are certain steps that you need to follow in order to create effective business writing,covering:①preparing；②researching；③organizing；④outlining；⑤drafting；⑥reviewing and revising.The emphasis on each step may vary,depending on what you are writing,but the steps will be the same.They break the larger writing task into smaller ones.Proceeding through them at a time will help you write successful business documents. According to the complexity of the writing task,they will be either more or less demanding.An annual report requires far more,for instance,than a note or memo.
1.3 Effective Business Communication
Communication is the top quality that employers look for.Effective business communication starts by asking the right questions to understand the customer's needs and wants to be able to recommend a product or service customized to the customer.One good tip is to speak,pause,and listen.Communicate what is needed and then pause to let the recipient process and respond to the information.With an average of 1,800 messages being sent by workers through memos,telephone,email, faxes,and face to face,it is important to listen and pay attention to the recipient and send the information clearly.All in all,to be effective in business communication you need to be clear,brief,focused,and committed.You make an impression on everyone with the way you handle your communication skills from your voice to your body language.
The word“communication”literally means“to make common.”At its most basic level,it means letting your needs be known.At its highest level, communication means building strong,trusting relationships with people whose perspectives are very different from your own.The educator and psychotherapist Virginia Satir once wrote,“Once a human being has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest single factor determining what kinds of relationships he makes with others and what happens to him in the world.”It also determines whether you are capable of being a highly effective leader.